WDD: CAPPA Backs Call for State of Emergency on Diabetes Care, Seeks Higher SSB Tax

As Nigeria joins the global community to mark World Diabetes Day, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has thrown its weight behind the Diabetes Association of Nigeria’s (DAN) call for the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on diabetes care and strengthen policies targeting unhealthy diets.

In a statement signed by its Media and Communication Officer, Robert Egbe, CAPPA described as “alarming” the revelation that an estimated 30,000 Nigerians die from diabetes every year, while about 11.4 million others are currently living with the disease, according to recent reports.

The organisation noted that the figures surpass the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimate, which puts Nigeria’s adult diabetes population at around 2.99 million with a prevalence rate of 3 per cent.

Equally troubling, CAPPA said, is the rising cost of diabetes management, which now averages between ₦100,000 and ₦120,000 per month, a burden it warned is “impossible for most patients to sustain” amid the country’s harsh economic climate.

“The data further exposes the state of Nigeria’s noncommunicable diseases burden and why the country’s life expectancy remains the lowest globally,” the group stated.

CAPPA said the rising diabetes cases, coupled with poor health outcomes, underscore the urgency for sweeping measures to curb the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and other high-risk foods.

Its Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, reiterated the group’s full support for DAN’s call for a national emergency on diabetes care, alongside a significant upward review of the SSB tax. 

He argued that all revenue generated should be channelled directly into strengthening the health sector.

According to him, unhealthy diets driven by the widespread availability and aggressive marketing of sugary drinks are fueling Nigeria’s noncommunicable diseases crisis. 

He warned that without decisive policy action, the country risks generations of young people becoming dependent on high-sugar diets, increasing their vulnerability to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, obesity and premature death.

CAPPA highlighted stronger SSB taxation, sodium reduction targets, front-of-pack labelling (FOPL), and restrictions on marketing ultra-processed foods to children as proven interventions capable of reducing the NCDs burden.

The group also welcomed ongoing government efforts to channel revenues from taxes on tobacco, alcohol and other harmful products into health financing, describing it as “a significant step toward achieving predictable funding for NCD prevention and management.”

CAPPA reaffirmed its advocacy for an SSB tax of at least ₦130 per litre, alongside mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling, noting that the combination would reduce consumption, encourage reformulation and empower consumers to make healthier choices.

This year’s World Diabetes Day, themed “Diabetes Across Life Stages,” highlights the disease’s impact on individuals at every stage of life, including during pregnancy.